Caramelized onions yield a savory dish

You’ve heard of a "sweetie" pie, a "cutie" pie, and even an Eskimo Pie. But
how often do you hear about an onion pie? And a vegan version of such a thing
won’t make anyone cry.

Onions, often thought of as a lowly veggie, have a fascinating past. Presumed
to have originated in Asia, uncultivated onions have been with us since
prehistoric times. Early populations found them simple to cultivate, fairly
non-perishable and easily dried for when the famines and plagues came to town.

The Egyptians considered onions a symbol of immortality in the afterlife with
the plant’s endless concentric construction. Heck, if you’ve ever caramelized
them, the process seems eternal as well.

King Ramses IV was mummified with onions in his eye sockets. Greeks used
onions to rub down Olympic athletes believing the vegetable would cure
headaches, cold sores and toothaches. Once upon a time in England, they were
called "oinyons" and were brought over on the Mayflower. (They were probably the
brightest bulbs on the boat.)

VEGAN PIE CRUST

You will need a pre-made vegan pie crust, or you can make your own. To make
your own, place 2 ½ cups flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ cup Earth Balance Buttery
Spread in a food processor. Pulse, then add 1 tablespoon (or more, if needed) of
chilled water until the ingredients form a ball. Roll out on a floured surface
and press into a pie plate. Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees and set aside.

Caramelizing onions is not hard. But, as mentioned before, quite time
consuming. The object is to melt and sweeten the veggies by reducing the amount
of liquid in which they are cooked, thus bringing out their natural sugars. Now,
there is the old sugar-on-butter method. However, vegans don’t take this route
as the butter is .

Cutting up the onions may be a weepy endeavor. There are several tips for
tearless onion-slicing, but I’ve never found them to work and a few (slice under
water or hold a peeled one over your head) seem downright dangerous. I went to
my basement and got my "protective eye wear goggles" whereupon I then chopped to
contentment.

Six cups of onions may seem like a lot, but when we say "reduced," we really
mean it! The results are worth it. Not even Little Jack Horner would reject this
pie. It was so good that my human taster was almost at a loss for words.

TAIL: Andrea Jay is a vegan from Castleton Corners. She can be reached
through the Advance at silvestri@siadvance.com.

When reduced, add bay leaf and small amounts of brandy, reducing again. This
will take about 20 more minutes, until the mixture is really sweet and the
consistency of jam. Take out the bay leaf and pour in grated veggie cheese. Pour
into baked vegan pie crust and bake for 25 minutes, or until browned on top.
Serve hot with crusty bread.